In the book The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux, the Phantom, whose real name is Erik, has a severely disfigured face. The exact nature of his deformity is not described in great detail, but it is mentioned that his face is so horrifying that it causes people to react with fear and disgust. Erik himself refers to his face as a ‘death’s head,’ indicating that it resembles a skull.
Erik’s disfigurement is a central aspect of his character and plays a significant role in the story. His appearance leads him to live in isolation beneath the Paris Opera House, where he hides from the world. The deformity is also a source of his deep-seated bitterness and anger, which drive many of his actions throughout the novel.
In summary, the Phantom’s face is described as being grotesquely disfigured, resembling a skull, and it is this deformity that shapes his life and actions in the story.